The Power of Faith
by Kelsey
Summary: A prophecy that is found, coupled with there being no new Slayer called, convinces the Scooby gang that Buffy is meant to be ressurected. But there's a catch: The Slayer must be called by a girl who loves her. (Warning: f/f slash)
1. Chapter One

****

The Power of Faith

by

[Princess McPhee][1]

Disclaimer: I have no claim. Don't own=don't sue. Please!

Author's Note: f/f slash. No complaints regarding this, please!

Summary: A prophecy is found, and coupled with there being no new Slayer called, is believed to be for Buffy. But a catch exists: A girl who is in love with Buffy, must call her back to life.

Rating: PG-13

**

> Chapter One

**

In a shadow oh so rare  
In the arms of thee trusted least  
The spell of a witch long passed  
Will bring a girl passed before her time  
Back to life with another line

But back she will only come  
If the one who calls  
A girl who is oh so rare  
Breathes her love  
Upon her spell  
And gives it her truthsome prayer

Giles stared at the prophecy, perplexed like the rest of the Scooby Gang. He pushed his glasses up on his nose, and looked around. "Well, obviously it means that the girl or woman who casts the spell must love Buffy. But I must admit I'm a bit perplexed by the rest of it."

Xander leaned forward, Anya in his lap, and looked at the odd phrases in the Watcher's hands. "Why don't you just read it like it says? Maybe it's literal."

Giles nodded. "It's a place to start, I suppose." He rubbed his face, and closed his eyes for a second before looking back at the paper.

"'In a shadow oh so rare'" He quoted. "Perhaps a vampire's shadow?"

Willow nodded. "It makes sense. But what about the next line?"

"'In the arms of thee trusted least'", Xander read from the paper. "Well, I guess that would be Spike."

Giles gave him a little glower, and Spike didn't bother to respond in his defense. "It might have to be something a little more evil, Xander."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Okay, how about the next part?"

"'The spell of a witch long passed'" Willow quoted back, leaning over Giles' shoulder. "That's pretty simple. It's an old spell. I'll be in charge of finding it."

Giles nodded. "Thank you Willow." He stared at the paper a long moment. "The next two lines pertain to the girl. It might well be Buffy." Hope shone in his eyes for the first time since the Slayer had sacrificed herself for her sister, and all of the Slayerettes were geared up and ready to go.

Five days ago, when Giles had received word from the council that another Slayer had yet to have been called, and that they were all mystified by this occurrence, or lack of one, Giles had decided that it must be a sign, perhaps from the Powers that Be, that Buffy hadn't been meant to die yet.

They had found this prophecy just a few days ago.

Anya leaned away from her boyfriend a little, and looked at the tiny piece of paper with such an important piece of information on it. "But, like usual, there's a catch," She noted.

They all read the last part over Giles' shoulders. "Well," Willow observed, "Dawn and I fit the 'love' part, but only Dawn is a 'girl ever so rare'."

Xander clapped his hands. "All right! Let's get to work. Willow, you're going to find the spell. Tara, see what you can do about giving a vampire a shadow, even temporarily. And the rest of us will dig around, see what we can figure out, see if we can make this darn thing make any more sense."

They all looked at him with amusement, and then exchanging glances, shrugged, and decided not to say anything about his odd change to leader of the group. "Okay," Willow decided. "Tara and I will be upstairs."

Giles looked after them worriedly, but rightly assumed that since any spells of real power would be in those books, it was the first place the wiccas should look. "Don't read anything out loud!" He called after them in a concerned voice.

Willow turned and smiled a little. "We won't." 

Giles heard Tara's soft voice asking, "Why shouldn't we?" and Willow's light laugh, and "It's a long story", and felt more relaxed than he had in days, at least.

Willow and Tara found the spells without extreme trouble, and the next day, they put it into action. Spike acted as 'thee trusted least' though they weren't sure if it would mess up the spell, since Dawn looked just a little too comfortable in the vampire's arms. 

Spike was standing under a street light, facing so that Dawn was in his shadow, as they began the ritual. Dawn intoned the spell that she'd worked to memorize, hope lighting her features.

"Spirits of the living, I call thee!

"Spirits of the dead, I call thee!

"Bind together, bring me back the one who died too young, cut her a new line and send her back to the world of the living.

"With a heart full of love, I beseech thee." Dawn closed her eyes, and the teenager looked to be concentrating hard. Willow hoped, for Dawn's sake as well as hers, that the spell worked.

But there was no poof, and Buffy didn't appear, and pretty much nothing happened. After long enough, Willow motioned Dawn out of Spike's arms, and his fading shadow, and they left, not sure if their actions had brought about any results.

The original spell didn't work, and neither did the one after. Willow called for Buffy, even Cordelia was given a chance when she was contacted in LA, and sent for. With less hope, Anya and Tara were given their chances, but nothing happened. 

The dejected Slayerettes were now gathered, once again, in the Magic Box, watching Giles as he sat at the table, and though.

Looking up at Willow, who sat across the table from him, he seemed to have thought of something. "Giles?" She asked.

"It may be that the person casting the spell needs to love Buffy... but not in the way that a sister or close friend does," He told the wicca. The Englishman shied away from actually explaining anymore than that, and Xander took up the task.

"You mean, someone who's romantically in love with Buffy." He stated. Giles nodded. "But it has to be a girl." Giles nodded again.

Xander looked at the table, and slammed his fist into it. Tara, sitting next to him, jumped. "Sorry," He muttered. "It's just that, where are we going to find someone who's romantically in love with Buffy, and a girl? Willow's already been up there. No offense, guys," He said, nodding at the wiccas, "But she was our best chance. What do we do now?"

Giles got that look that said he had thought of something, and the gang watched him abruptly rise from the table, and get the store's telephone. He held it up for all of them to see, and almost smiled.

"We call the Los Angeles juvenile detention facility," He said.

For a long moment, no one spoke. Then Anya, breaking the mood, looked around. "Who did Buffy know who's in jail?"

The rest of the crowd ignored her, and Dawn breathed the answer behind Spike. "Faith."

They all turned to look at the teenager, and Dawn explained hurriedly. "I was twelve when Faith came to town. Well, not really, but you know. I liked her a lot, wanted to be just like her, but Buffy told me that she never wanted to catch me with her."

Xander looked from Giles to the youngest member of the gang. "But what does that have to do with using Faith to bring Buffy back?" He asked.

Dawn nodded. "Well, since I wasn't allowed to be with Faith, I used to watch her

and Buffy out the windows, and stuff. And once, I saw her bring Buffy home, and kiss her."

Xander looked a little dazed, and the rest of them just looked surprised. Spike spoke first. "I didn't know Slayer swung that way, pet."

Dawn shook her head. "She doesn't. I don't think. But Faith does. And the prophecy didn't say that Buffy has to love the girl, just that the girl has to love her."

Around the table, shrugs were exchanged, and then, hopeful glances. Giles picked up the phone, and hurriedly dialed the number from a pad of paper that looked like it had never seen the light of day, which wasn't surprising, since he had had little or no contact with the rogue Slayer, as far as the Scoobies knew.

"Damn!" Giles slammed down the phone, his tone losing the lilting British inflection for just a moment. No one even looked up, used to this by now. The prison just wasn't going to release Faith.

Xander didn't bother to look up from the book he was reading. "What did the council say?"

Giles shook his head. "They said they'd try, but it could be months. I don't know what there is left to do, honestly."

"We could break her out," Dawn suggested.

"Yeah, right. We'll just go up to a high-security prison, and storm her out. No offense, Dawn, but that wouldn't work."

Dawn nodded. "I know."

"So, what do we do, Giles?" Willow asked.

The older British man stared at his glasses, and wiped them on his shirt. "Well, I guess we wait."

And wait they did. When the papers finally came through in mid-August, they were hardly what the Scooby gang had hoped for. But they were apparently the best the council could do. 

Giles, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Spike and Dawn had three days, with a police officer breathing over their shoulder at every turn, to convince Faith to work with them, and then to perform the ritual.

Faith arrived, escorted by three policemen, at the door of the Magic Box around noon on the following day. She looked like Willow and Xander remembered her, but the spark, the Faith brightness, liveliness, was missing. Giles hardly recognized her. "Hey," She greeted them.

Giles rose to his feet, and escorted her to the table. "Careful, sir," One of the police officers warned. "She's potentially dangerous."

Giles looked down at the girl, not even nineteen, and the look of her broken spirit, and then back at the officers. "Thank you," He told them in about as sarcastic a tone as Giles ever took with anyone. "You may leave now."

He sat Faith down at the table, and then sat beside her. The cops surrounded the room, making sure that there was no exit unguarded. Luckily, they were also out of hearing range, as long as they spoke softly.

Giles slid the piece of paper under the Slayer's hands. "This is a prophecy we found," He explained. "But it has been carried out as best as we are able, with no results. Now, the only conclusion we were able to draw was that perhaps the love for Buffy had to be romantic, rather than platonic." Giles didn't even state the other possibility, that this prophecy wasn't meant for the recently departed Slayer.

Faith looked sharply at the Watcher, looking just a little more like herself. "And you think I..." She trailed off, letting the sentence hang.

All of the gang just looked at her.

"No! That isn't my thing. I'm sure Xander could tell you that." 

Xander, Anya snuggled up against him, blushed, and muttered to his fiancee, "It was a long time ago."

Giles looked at Dawn, who nodded, giving him permission to use her statement. "Dawn said that she saw you kiss Buffy once. Do you deny having feelings for her?"

Faith looked around nervously, then down at the table. "No, I guess not."

Giles pushed the Slayer's chin up to look at him. The cops surrounding the room looked about ready to spring, but the Watcher's council had given strict instructions, one of them being that Giles' orders were to be obeyed. "Faith, it doesn't matter what you've decided to do with those feelings now. We just need to use them, one more time. If nothing else, I know that Buffy was your friend. And we have to bring her back, or the world is in great peril."

The dark-haired Slayer looked around nervously, but didn't answer. Luckily, Tara, who seemed to pretty well acquainted with reading other people's signals, suggested that she think about it for a while.

"Thanks," Faith smiled at the wicca, looking a little relieved. Then, facing Giles, "Do you have anything I could really beat up on? They pretty much don't like us practicing our martial arts in prison, and I know I'm really rusty."

Giles led the rogue Slayer into Buffy's training room, and held the door open. Faith looked at it, in awe. "What can I use?" She asked.

"Take your pick," Offered Xander. "Except that I am not getting in that suit. I've had enough bad experiences as 'Puffy Xander'."

The others smiled, and Faith looked perplexed, then leaned over, and started to stretch. Warming up quickly, she began to take on Buffy's equipment, looking like a woman dying of thirst finding water. Clearly, she was in her element.

An hour later, sweaty and exhausted but obviously much happier, Faith stuck her head under the faucet, and wrapped a towel over her head, rubbing her long hair dry. "Thanks," She breathed at Giles. "I've been wanting to do that for so long."

Giles smiled. "You're welcome, Faith. Now, do you want to go and clean up, maybe enjoy a night of freedom--"

"Or, at least relatively so," Xander piped up, nodding the direction of the cops.

Giles gave him a glare, and he shut up. Then the older British man continued. "Maybe enjoy a night of freedom before you make your choice?"

"No."

Everyone watched Faith anxiously, waiting for her answer, and hoping that she would help. The dark-haired Slayer slid the towel off of her head, dropped it on the table, and fluffed her hair. "I'll help you."

[1]

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   [1]: mailto:teneljade@netzero.net
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   [3]: http://www.geocities.com/princess_mcphee/b_afanfic.html



	2. Chapter Two

****

The Power of Faith

by

[Princess McPhee][1]

Disclaimer: I have no claim. Don't own=don't sue. Please!

Author's Note: f/f slash. No complaints regarding this, please!

Summary: A prophecy is found, and coupled with there being no new Slayer called, is believed to be for Buffy. But a catch exists: A girl who is in love with Buffy, must call her back to life.

Rating: PG-13

> Chapter Two
> 
> "Are you sure I have to touch him?" Faith groused, trying to get away from Spike's spread arms for the third time that night. Before Giles could answer, Spike grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, keeping her still in his arms.
> 
> "Yes, pet, I'm sure. Now would you stop struggling so that we can get on with this?" He complained back at her.
> 
> Faith glared at him, but then turned away and positioned herself in his magickally given shadow, before intoning the words that Willow, Tara, Anya, Cordy and Dawn had tried to use without success.
> 
> "Spirits of the living, I call thee!
> 
> "Spirits of the dead, I call thee!
> 
> "Bind together, bring me back the one who died too young, cut her a new line and send her back to the world of the living.
> 
> "With a heart full of love, I beseech thee." Faith closed her eyes, and when he looked close, the Watcher could see tears pressing at her eyelids, probably from memories that were evoked by thinking of Buffy. Respectfully silent, the rest of the Scoobies waited to see if anything would happen.
> 
> And all of a sudden, it did. There was a purple ball of fire spinning in the air before Faith, and as the Slayer seemed to concentrate harder and harder, it grew larger and larger, spinning faster and faster.
> 
> It grew into an oval shape, and became nearly as big as the girl who was apparently creating it. Then, when it reached a speed where it was just a blur, and a height where Xander, who was directly opposite Faith, couldn't see her over it, it seemed to shatter into a million pieces, and there stood Buffy, who immediately collapsed.
> 
> But she was alive.
> 
> The Scoobies surrounded the stunned girl, helping her to her feet, tears streaming down all of their faces, except for Tara and Anya. Even Giles' eyes were wet as he embraced the slight Slayer, and hugged her so tight that she had to push him away after a moment.
> 
> Xander and Willow hugged her, Willow spouting incoherent babble as she did so. Anya gave her an awkward gesture that could have been a hug, and said, "I'm glad you're back," which, from her, was high praise.
> 
> Dawn clung to her sister, her slender form encompassed by Buffy's shorter, but curvier figure. "God, Buffy, you're back," She cried. "You're back, you're back."  
Tara held her lover as Willow cried tears of joy, and the group in the spotlight could not have been happier. Even Spike was allowed a quick embrace, and the brightness lighting his eyes seemed to make Buffy believe that he was sincere in wanting her, maybe even loving her.
> 
> But when the blond Slayer's eyes fell upon her savior, the whole area went silent, awaiting her reaction. Faith, for her part, simply stood her ground, and let Buffy's stare wash over her.
> 
> "What are you doing here?" Buffy asked tightly.
> 
> "She saved you," Dawn told her sister from her position clutched at Buffy's side.
> 
> Buffy turned sharply to Giles, and he nodded, confirming Dawn's story. The blond Slayer didn't offer to hug the younger girl, but seemed to relax a little. 
> 
> "Thank you."
> 
> No one wanted to stop touching her, making sure she was real, on the way back to the Magic Box, and Buffy didn't look too upset at the constant hugs and kisses. Only Spike and Faith were prevented from touching her whenever they wanted, and the glares at the vampire were only meant halfway, Faith noticed.
> 
> When the whole story had been spilled, Buffy looked around the table, everywhere but at the brunette Slayer. When she finally did let her gaze fall on Faith, she needn't have worried, the girl's head was down, her long hair obscuring her face as she stared at the tabletop.
> 
> Buffy's eyes shone with gratitude, and she tipped up Faith's chin gently to show the younger girl her eyes, and assure her that she wasn't mad. "I'm not upset for this, Faith," She told her former best friend. "I'm still not quite sure how to handle what happened before, and I'm sorry to say that I still don't think I can trust you, but I'm most certainly not mad about tonight."
> 
> Faith's eyes showed her gratefulness too, and she gave a shaky smile. "I'm not that person anymore, Buffy."
> 
> Buffy nodded. "I didn't think so."
> 
> The rest of the night was spent in a joyful reunion, until Giles reminded everyone that Buffy would have to lay low for a while, until the council had manufactured a reason for a supposedly dead girl to be once more alive. Buffy nodded, and told Giles that she'd be at the Summers' home, which hadn't yet been sold.
> 
> The happy crowd was broken up around two in the morning, and everyone went their own way. Buffy sent Dawn out to the car to wait for her, and faced only a nervous Faith in the main room of the Magic Box.
> 
> Staring at the younger woman with gratitude in her eyes, Buffy reached up a hand to brush her cheek. She tucked the brunette's hair behind her ears, and smiled tenderly. Then she leaned down slowly, and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.
> 
> Pulling away, Buffy put her mouth against Faith's ear. "Thank you," She whispered. "Again."
> 
> Dawn crept from her bed early the next morning, her heart singing with joy. Buffy was back! Buffy, who'd promised never to leave her, and then had, came back for her!
> 
> The teenager only meant to go into the kitchen to grab a snack, her hunger practically burning a hole in her stomach. She hadn't eaten much at all since Buffy had died, and now, it was coming back to haunt her. But her sister's door was open, and she snuck inside, just watching the Slayer sleep.
> 
> Long moments later, the window pushed up softly, and Dawn crouched into a fighting stance, ready to attack anything that came through that window, but the dark hair and slight build alerted her quickly enough that she didn't wake her sister. "What are you doing her?" She hissed at Faith.
> 
> The dark-haired Slayer looked over at younger Summers' girl, and smirked. "Same thing you are, kiddo."
> 
> Dawn cocked her head in a silent challenge. "Which is?"
> 
> Faith blushed a little, and looked at the ground. "Watching her sleep," She admitted quietly.
> 
> Dawn stared up and down her form for a long moment, then nodded, and turned away. "I'm going to get a snack," She told the younger Slayer.
> 
> "Please don't tell anyone," Faith said pleadingly. 
> 
> Dawn didn't answer for a long moment, then, closing the door behind her, said, "You were never here."
> 
> The blond Slayer awoke an hour later, and yawned, stretching her body lazily as she made her way down the hall. Dawn barreled out of her room, heading for the stairs, and Buffy grabbed her arm, stopping her. But, unlike usual, she had a smile on her face. "Whoa! Where are you going?"
> 
> Dawn grinned back at her sister. "To Spike's."
> 
> Buffy did a double-take. "_Spike's?_"
> 
> Dawn nodded. "Yep."
> 
> Buffy shook her head quickly, and mimed Dawn's look. "Nope," She told her sister.
> 
> Dawn's face went sad, and then angry. "Buffy, he helped save your life! You wouldn't be here if Spike wasn't around! And now, I can't go say thanks?"
> 
> Buffy's face softened a little, and she thought about it for a moment. "All right. But get back her by ten. And if you don't, I expect to see you with a good explanation, at the Magic Box by noon."
> 
> Dawn nodded, and unexpectedly, kissed her sister on the cheek, giving her a quick hug as she did so. "Thanks."
> 
> She rested her head against her sister's shoulder for a moment. "I'm glad you're back, Buffy." She told her softly, before pulling away and crashing down the stairs and out of the house in typical Dawn fashion. Buffy watched her go with a fond smile on her face.
> 
> Her bedroom window creaked open, and Buffy whirled, automatically in a fighting position. She looked into her room from the hall where she stood, and watched cautiously as it pushed all the way open.
> 
> Faith appeared in the frame, looking around. She held her hands up when she saw Buffy's stance. "Whoa! It's just me, B."
> 
> The older Slayer looked basically, confused. She didn't seem to know what to do with her best-friend-turned-enemy-turned-savior. Plus, if that wasn't enough, there was always the matter of Faith's feelings for Buffy.
> 
> "Hey," She greeted her, dropping her fists and moving her feet closer together. But her defenses stayed perfectly intact. 
> 
> Faith pulled herself through the window, landing in a crouch on Buffy's floor. She pulled herself to her feet, and looked at the older Slayer. "Defensive much?" She asked sarcastically, and Buffy glanced down at her unconscious fighting posture. She relaxed a little, but didn't apologize for her pose.
> 
> "What are you doing here, Faith?" She asked bluntly.
> 
> Faith looked at the ground, the shy, retiring girl that Buffy had never before seen surfacing due to her unfortunate prison stay. "I... just wanted to see you. I've been in prison a long time, B."
> 
> Buffy threw her a wry smile. "Well, as much as things have changed, I guess some things never will. It's kind of nice to know."
> 
> Faith cocked her head a little, and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Huh?"
> 
> "You. And that crazy obsession with calling me 'B'."
> 
> "Oh. Sorry, B." They both laughed a little when they realized what she had done, and Faith looked at the floor. "I guess I'd better go."
> 
> Buffy stopped her with an arm on her shoulder. "Wait. I'm just about to fix breakfast, why don't you stay? We can talk a little, catch up."
> 
> Faith hesitated, and then nodded. "Thanks."
> 
> Buffy nodded, and turned to leave the room. In the doorway, she stopped, turning back to the formerly-rogue Slayer. "I just have one question."
> 
> Faith looked perplexed, but nodded. "Yeah?"
> 
> "Why not use the door?"
> 
> Dawn arrived to find her sister heavily involved in a make-out session on the couch of their home with a very attractive, brunette Slayer. The police guards stood outside the room, but were clearly aware of what was going on, because they had been talking to each other with funny smiles on their faces, stopping to snap to attention when the younger Summers' girl came home.
> 
> Dawn, never shy and not planning to take up the habit now, stood in the middle of the hall and cleared her throat loudly, making as much noise as possible. Buffy and Faith broke apart, looking guilty. Dawn noticed that her sister had dyed her hair a light reddish-brown, presumably to help keep her anonymous for a few more days, while the Watcher's Council got that stuff settled.
> 
> The Slayers stood from the couch, and Faith nodded to Buffy before taking off. "Thanks, B."
> 
> Buffy gave her a distracted smile, and nodded back. "I'll meet you at the Magic Box, later," She promised. She just stood there as Faith left, the police guards following closely behind her.
> 
> Then, she motioned to her sister. "Come here, Dawnie."
> 
> Dawn took her seat when Buffy had pointed, but didn't look at her sister. "So, is this a part-time thing, or are you completely swung that way?" She asked in the bizarre talk of the fourteen-year-old.
> 
> Having once been a fourteen-year-old, Buffy understood what she meant perfectly. "Part-time, I guess. I mean, I really loved Angel, and I really cared for Riley. So, I guess that means I'm bi."
> 
> Dawn admired her sister's frankness with her, but wouldn't dream of allowing that to show through her facade. "Interesting."
> 
> Buffy sat beside her. "Dawn, do you have trouble with me and Faith being together?" She asked.
> 
> Dawn considered it for a moment. "I guess not. It's kinda weird, you know, at first, but I'm getting used to it." She paused. "However, the part about her being a legally bound prison inmate, I'm still thinking on."
> 
> Buffy looked at her little sister, really looked, hard. "Dawn, this Faith isn't the same person she used to be. I really believe that, and I'm going to fight for her, because she deserves a second chance."
> 
> Dawn nodded slowly. "Okay."
> 
> Buffy smiled, and leaned over to hug her sister. Dawn backed away. Buffy pursued, and pretty soon, they were having an all-out tickle fight, rolling around on the ground with laughter, their sides and bellies aching.

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